


Nightwatch

by Chocolamousse



Series: The Night Trilogy [1]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Ficlet, Love, M/M, POV First Person, Podfic Available, Present Tense, Romance, Sleep, Wordcount: 100-500
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-29
Updated: 2012-10-29
Packaged: 2017-11-17 07:37:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/549157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chocolamousse/pseuds/Chocolamousse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>221B Baker Street, a bedroom, at night. Before the Fall.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nightwatch

**Author's Note:**

  * For [verityburns](https://archiveofourown.org/users/verityburns/gifts).



> Beta: The adorable [Verity Burns](http://archiveofourown.org/users/verityburns/profile).
> 
> Translation into Chinese by [Lowtension](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Lowtension/pseuds/Lowtension) available [here](http://www.movietvslash.com/thread-165643-1-1.html) or [here](http://tieba.baidu.com/p/3777786732?pid=68738082243&cid=0#68738082243).

The room is quiet. I hear only John's breath. I see his chest rise and fall steadily. It’s so soothing. I watch his sleepy face in the shadowy light, endlessly, and though I know it by heart it's not boring at all. If I close my eyes I still see it. 

I observe the way his eyelids and his lips sometimes quiver. Maybe he's dreaming. Happy dreams, I hope. He has no nightmares when I'm with him. Two nights ago his eyes suddenly opened, he stared at me and I stopped breathing. After a few seconds he gave me a slight smile and closed his eyes again. He hadn't really woken up. 

He shifts a little in the bed and his hand settles next to my face. I fix my gaze on it, as if mesmerised. I come near, until my mouth brushes against it. I close my eyes. I can feel the warmth of his skin on my lips. Something breaks inside me. Oh God, this is enough. 

I stand up slowly and, as I do every night, I smooth the blanket out to efface any trace. He wouldn't notice anyway. A last look and I leave John's room as silently as I came in, about an hour ago. I go back to my room. 

I wonder what he would say if he knew. I wonder if, one day, he'll wake up and find me there, next to his bed, in my dressing gown, my legs tucked to the side, my head resting on my arms folded on the cover, watching, watching over him. I'm afraid he will. 

I hope he will.

**Author's Note:**

> Are you in the mood for angsting? With my customary quick-wittedness I realised _after_ writing it that if you skip _in my dressing gown_ and _I go back to my room_ , lo and behold, it's now a very sad post-Reichenbach story. Sherlock comes back to 221B every night to spend some moments next to John who's sleeping. When John woke up two days ago he felt perfectly happy for a few seconds, because he remembered seeing Sherlock, then he remembered Sherlock was dead and... Right. I definitely recommend the pre-Reichenbach version.
> 
> It's my first fic and I wrote it for [Verity Burns](http://archiveofourown.org/users/verityburns/profile)' birthday, some months ago. Thank you ever so much to her and to the lovely [Ariane DeVere](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Ariane_DeVere/profile); without their kindness and their encouragement ~~and their kicks in the pants~~ I'd probably never have written, let alone posted, anything. I owe you!
> 
> There is a prequel now, [_The Stuff Dreams Are Made Of_](http://archiveofourown.org/works/555366), and a sequel, [_Awakening_](http://archiveofourown.org/works/662484).
> 
> There is also [a podfic](http://archiveofourown.org/works/745568), by the wonderful [Verity Burns](http://archiveofourown.org/users/verityburns/profile).


End file.
